Brooklyn’s Finest
“People protect their lives no matter what,” says a cop as he drives up with new trainee Sal, played by Ethan Hawke. We are then startled with a huge bang as we see Sal trying to quickly save the other guy, and suddenly see Eddie (Richard Gere) waking up from what has been a bad dream.
I have always preferred movies, especially those about cops or gangsters, that keep the viewer entertained with a fast-paced storyline, compared to ones which expect its viewers to still be awake at the end of a film after a slow build-up. However, when we are thrown into a script where neither the actors nor the director (Antoine Fuqua) have any idea about what is going on, and are trying new ideas to instantly boost their images, you have to wonder what sold them on this story, and if a sense of panic regarding the old “age factor” was beginning to sink in.
The film brings us back to Eddie, who has been a cop for over twenty years, and is relieved that he is finally retiring in seven days. Sal, who works narcotics, has enough stress at home with five children, and a wife (Lili Taylor) who is expecting twins. Desperate to improve his family’s life and clean up his act, he steals drug money with the intention to save enough to leave their neighborhood.
Tango (Don Cheadle), wants to leave his undercover assignment, where he has been working for over three years, because he wife has left him. He gets his superior (Will Patton) and a tough federal agent (Ellen Barkin) to agree to let him have a desk job, but there is a price – he has to set up his best friend, drug dealer Cas (Wesley Snipes) in order to trade duties.
Once the film established these characters, I began to give it some lee-way and think that I would start to see the storyline coming together. I was wrong. Forty-five minutes in the film went from average to degrading and just plain disgusting due to scenes in down-and-out clubs that don’t even look “gangster-worthy.” When the audience laughs at a serious scene you know a film is in trouble. Sal tries to prove himself as a tough guy running after a drug dealer, catching him and smashing his face. The audience only laughed at Ethan Hawke, and couldn’t take him seriously! Maybe it is because he still looks like an innocent teenager, with no muscles to make anyone dare to challenge him.
L.A. Confidential was the last great cop movie in my opinion, and nothing has matched its classy style and thrilling storyline in over ten years. Here each scene looks more down-and-out, such as when Eddie goes into a convenience store to stop a holdup, but it still doesn’t make the film more entertaining. At the end of the day I would have to re-title this film, “Brooklyn’s Worst.”
Brooklyn’s Finest • Dolby® Digital surround sound in select theatres • Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 • Running Time: 133 minutes • MPAA Rating: R for bloody violence throughout, strong sexuality, nudity, drug content and pervasive language. • Distributed by Overture Films